Mayor Sadiq Khan determined to bring IPL matches to London

Labour candidate, an avid cricket fan, had a trial for Surrey as a teenager

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London (Getty Images)

Sadiq Khan, Mayor of London, has expressed his determination to bring Indian Premier League (IPL) fixtures to the English capital once the pandemic has passed.

During his first term as Mayor, Khan – a keen cricket fan who had a trial for Surrey as a teenager – brought Major League Baseball to London for the first time and extended the city’s relationship with the NFL, helping to secure a ten-year commitment for the league to play regular-season matches at the new Tottenham Hotspur stadium.

The 2021 IPL season starts this weekend, and Khan, who is seeking re-election as Labour candidate on 6 May, said: “This is part of my plan to build a better London after the pandemic.

“I know Londoners are hungry to see more of the likes of Virat Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Rishabh Pant and, with two of the world’s greatest cricket grounds in Lord’s and The Kia Oval, London is ideally placed to host IPL matches.

Khan, speaking while watching young cricket players train at Kingstonian CC, added: “The absence of live crowds at elite competitions has been hard for many sport-loving Londoners.

“But I know we can build a better, more open and prosperous city after the pandemic and see our capital confirmed as the undisputed sporting capital of the world.

“I will never stop banging the drum for investment in our city, and bringing the Indian Premier League to London would not only guarantee a home crowd for every country but boost tourism and generate much-needed revenue to help get our capital back on its feet.”